GRAZING INDUSTRY OF THE BLUEGRASS REGION. 7 
The silo is being used more than formerly. (Fig. 7.) The advan- 
tages of feeding silage over the old methods of dry feeding are that 
(1) it avoids the necessity of hauling from the cornfields during wet 
weather, (2) it enables more stock to be kept on the same acreage of 
corn, (3) it keeps the animals in better condition, and (4) it clears 
the entire field early for seeding to wheat. It has often been asserted 
by experienced graziers that cattle fed silage during the winter do not 
gain as rapidly on grass as those which were dry fed. Whether this 
opinion is formed from observation of the gains made the first month 
or two of the grazing period or from final weights in the fall has never 
been settled. The evidence given by farmers on this point is very 
contradictory. With the usual methods of feeding, silage-fed steers 
Fig. 6.— Steers like those shown in figure 4 in the condition in which they should appear after a 
season's grazing. 
will weigh more in the spring than they did the previous fall and of 
course will not make equal gains with the thinner dry-fed cattle when 
first turned on grass. That more stock can be kept on the same acre- 
age of corn put in a silo than would be possible were the corn allowed 
to stand in the shock in the field until used is admitted by practically 
every grazier who has tried both methods. Some claim that twice 
as many stock can be kept when a silo is used, but the estimate of 
most farmers is 1J times the number kept by dry feeding. This is 
a very important consideration, especially in the mountain sections, 
where there are sometimes insufficient tillable areas to produce 
forage to winter the stock which the pastures will carry during the 
summer. The silo might obviate the necessity of keeping a blue- 
grass field ungrazed during the summer for winter feed. (Fig. 8.) 
